The Dhampire and the Rogue
by Akolyte121
Summary: D meets a stranger in the desert. Though he seems friendly enough, what is he hiding? Ch. 2 & 3 are UP!
1. A Chance Encounter in the Desert

**The Dhampire and the Rogue**

**Author's notes: **Welcome one and all to my first fanfic! I'm new at this so please R&R.

Ch. 1 – **A Chance Encounter in the Desert**

The lone rider continued his trek across the sun-bleached ruins of some ancient city, obviously uncomfortable in the blazing sun and sand. His wide-brimmed hat and high collared cloak shielded him from the dust in the air and kept his face cloaked in shadows. His cybernetic horse was jet black, along with every piece of clothing on him, making him a black silhouette against the bleak landscape.

"So, here we are again, stuck in some god-forsaken place on the prowl for yet another vampire that another wealthy family wants dead. Do you think you will ever tire of this way of life, D?" asked a voice that oddly enough didn't come from his mouth, but from somewhere around his left hand. "Hey, as pretty as you are, I bet the ladies would just line up to have your children," the voice continued. "Wouldn't that be nice? You could marry a farm girl and grow some crops for a change."

"Quiet," the lone rider simply replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry I broke into your reverie," replied his left hand sarcastically. "Do I need to remind you of your susceptibility to heat syndrome? You hardly travel at night for some damn reason and instead do your best to turn both of us into jerky on these little walks through th- ughmm" the vampire hunter clenched his left hand into a fist to quiet the annoying parasite.

D was less than happy. The vampire couple Dolan and Felicity Lamar had eluded him in Silvertown and had disappeared into the wasteland leaving him to deal with the several Barberoi mutants they had hired. Those two were old and powerful, not to mention extremely cunning. They took with them the twin daughters of an industrial mogul who was willing to pay D a very large sum of money for their safe return.

The dhampire hunter sat on the back of his horse and thought about his current course. The closest town would be Genola, a small port city a day's ride to the east. There was also Bull Hill to the north, a large industrial city. The problem was he did not know which town the vampires had fled to. Bull Hill was larger, so it could be easier to hide amongst the population, though he doubted that vampires would want to hide amongst humans. Genola was more out of the way, so maybe they were thinking of escaping across the sea.

While muddling over this, D was broken out of his thoughts rather violently when several man shaped rocks burst from the sand and began chucking boulders at him. Their faces resembled rocks with giant cracks that served as mouths. _Damn_, thought D, _Rocklings_. Rocklings are creatures created by the vampire Nobility as guardians. Their bodies were made from solid rock and they were relentless in their pursuit of their quarry. When the Nobility fell, they became savage bands of marauders that preyed upon unsuspecting caravans and travelers.

This all flashed through D's head as he rolled off his horse to avoid the flying boulders and drew his longsword. He checked his situation. There were about twelve of them, and they were advancing quickly. The dhampire moved with elegant grace and inhuman speed towards the first three. His vampiric strength allowed him to slash them in half with one stroke. He rolled to his left and thrust the tip of his sword through the mouth of another, killing it instantly, but his sword got stuck. Then he was clipped on the shoulder by another boulder and was spun over by the blow to land on his back. As his vision cleared he looked up to see one of the monstrosities standing over him with a boulder held high for the kill.

Two crossbow bolts suddenly exploded from its chest causing it to drop the rock it was holding on top of its head. Off in the distance he saw a figure riding hard towards him on what looked like a motorcycle. The hooded rider fired his crossbow to drop two more Rocklings with a bolt through their heads. He jumped off his bike as it crashed into another monstrosity and drew his broadsword.

"Get to your feet stranger, there's killing to be done!" the newcomer yelled to D. The vampire hunter immediately jumped to his feet and began to systematically destroy each monster. One tried to grab D in a bear hug, but the dhampire was too quick for it. He rolled to the left of the Rockling, right under its arms and swunghis sword in wide arc to sever both its legs. It fell to the earth emitting a scream that sounded like an avalanche. D silenced it with a stab through the back ofthe head.

The newcomer moved amongst the monsters with the practiced ease of a veteran warrior. He thrust his sword into the joint between the neck and shoulder, twisted his blade to make room, and swiped his sword down, cleanly severing its head from its shoulders. D noticed this as he cleanly bisected another monster. Whoever this stranger was, he obviously knew how to fight Rocklings.

He ducked under the swipe of one monster's arm and repeated the technique of severing its head to end its life. He used the dying creature as a shield from another's blow, flipped over the carcass, and brought his sword crashing down to split his attacker's head in half. D made quick work of the last Rockling by cutting it into three sections.

D turned around to take a look at the stranger who had come to his rescue. He was tall, only a little bit shorter than D. Two intense green eyes looked back at him from under the hood of his grey cloak. What caught D's attention were the two scars running down each side of his face, each crossing an eye and ending at the jaw line. There was a necklace hanging from his neck. Dangling from the chain was a crucifix that had thorny vines entwined around it, with a drop the color of blood set in the middle. The stranger bent to pick up his discarded crossbow. D noticed that the symbol on his necklace was also stitched onto the back of his cloak.

"Thank you for your help," D said quietly as he went to retrieve his horse. The newcomer just shrugged, "No problem stranger, what kind of person would I be if I had just let you get killed back there?" He went to his bike and dislodged it from the chest of a dead Rockling, inspecting it for damage. "Oh, by the way, my name's Leon Silverberg," he said as walked back to the dhampire and held out his hand. D looked at the proffered limb for a second before shaking it. "D"

Leon's eyes widened slightly at the letter. "Oh, the legendary vampire hunter himself almost killed by a pack of Rocklings?" He held up his hands in apology at D's stoic expression. "Hey, calm down there, big guy! I was only kidding!" D's expression didn't change. There was only silence for a moment. "Well, if you're heading to Genola, would you mind some company? I'm heading there myself," Leon said after a while.

D was thoughtful for a moment. _Genola is the more logical choice if Dolan and Felicity are trying to escape, _he thought_, and there seems to be more to this traveler than he seems to let on. _

"Very well."


	2. Ch 2 Campfire Revelations

**The Dhampire and the Rogue**

CH. 2 – Campfire Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Hunter D; if I did I would not be writing fanfics. I would be living in a mansion somewhere counting my money.

Night had settled across the desert when the riders had settled down for the night by the campfire. The one in the black cloak had pulled out a well-thumbed book and was reading it. His companion in the grey cloak and hood roasted some rabbits on a spit over a fire. Neither said anything for awhile so all that could be heard was the rustling of the wind and the occasional howl of a wolf or coyote off in the distance. It wasn't that they were unfriendly; they just preferred the silence of the wilderness to small talk.

"Okay, supper's ready," said Leon after awhile, offering D one of the rabbits he had brought down earlier. "Thank you, but I believe I'll pass," the dhampire said without even looking up from his book. Dhampires didn't need to eat food as regular humans do. Leon shrugged, not at all bothered by his companion's lack of social skills. In his opinion, it made D the perfect audience. "Suit yourself, more for me." The sounds of a chainsaw going through meat could be heard from Leon as he devoured his food. D looked up from his book in time to see Leon finish one rabbit and begin on the other.

"What book you reading there, stranger? I don't recognize the language on the front." asked Leon as he wiped his mouth with the edge of his cloak. D closed the book and lifted the front for Leon to see. "The Gutenberg Bible, a holy book of a long dead religion. It is written in a dead language called Latin." D then put the book back in his saddlebag and held out his hand to his companion. "May I see your crossbow? I'm curious as to how it could pierce solid stone." Leon tossed his weapon to D as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. D made a mental note of this. Why would a complete stranger trust him, a dhampire? Maybe it had something to do with the fact they had fought the Rocklings together. D dismissed this train of thought and examined Leon's weapon of choice.

Leon's crossbow was not the average weapon. It was made of solid steel with silver bolts for ammo and double strings to allow rapid firing. A weapon of this quality was not easy to come by, even for someone like D. Along the side of shaft was an engraving of the same symbol that was on Leon's necklace and on the back of his cloak. D wondered if this was the symbol of some organization or just his personal symbol. D knew better than to ask.

"Well, it uses gas pressure to force the bolt to almost supersonic speed so it can pierce up to six feet of solid stone." "And the strings are spring-loaded so I can fire a bolt every half-second," Leon stated with some pride. "Such a weapon must be for more than just protection from Rocklings, am I right?" asked D while handing back the crossbow. Leon ran a finger down the side of his face, tracing the scar there, "Man's gotta make a living, so I'll do odd jobs here and there. Mostly kill some monster that's been bothering the locals and such."

_You know he's lying, _said Lefty in D's head._ No regular wanderer walks around with weapons made specifically for killing vampires. _The dhampire mentally agreed. He had also noticed that his companion's broadsword was inlaid with silver as well. During the Rockling ambush, Leon has proven he was more than capable of holding his own in a fight.

D had learned long ago to tell when people were lying; it helped him believe that Charlotte was sincere in her love for Meier Link, and that Doris truly loved him. He knew immediately that Leon was holding back something, but didn't press him. D had enough secrets of his own.

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Author's Notes: I know it's short, I just wrote this so you would get a better impression of Leon Silverberg.


	3. A Fitting Start

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I do not own Vampire Hunter D or his left hand. All other original characters are my own.

**Ch.3 – A Fitting Start**

D and Leon set off at first light, heading east toward the port city of Genola. D's cybernetic horse easily keeping pace with Leon's motorcycle. They had left the desert behind and were now traveling along a road between rolling hills to the north and a large forest to the south. They were making good time and would be at Genola within an hour.

"What do you know of Genola stranger?" asked Leon as they passed a sign saying 'Genola up ahead' attached to a pole with a large cross. D hesitated before answering, "I've never been there before myself," before he looked back to the road. "Well, I've been there before and the people are okay, if a little bit suspicious of strangers, so don't expect a warm welcome when we get there, stranger," said Leon, and this comment made them both quiet.

Leon still called him 'stranger' even though he knew D's name. Lefty was quick to answer D's thought, _because there's no one stranger than you dhampire. _**You are one to talk, **was all that D mentally replied.

It was true though, that there could be problems when they got to town. Simple folk were scared to death of the vampires, and to them half-breed dhampires were just as bad. No, dhampires were probably considered worse as they didn't have to hide from the sun. There had been more than one occasion that D had to flee a village when they found out about his heritage.

As they rounded the next hill, they saw smoke rising from the east, staining the morning sky a ruddy red. They both knew what that smoke meant.

"Oh, by the Almighty! Please no!" screamed Leon as he revved up his bike and shot off at top speed for the city, his hooded cloak billowing after him. D kicked his horse to try and keep up. _This can't be good_ said Lefty as D chased after Leon.

When D entered the town he walked onto a scene of carnage. Several buildings were ablaze, the smoke staining the sky above an oily black. Benches, cars, and trash cans were lined up as if a barricade had been built here.

A car was flipped on its back and had been set ablaze. There were signs of battle everywhere: gunshot holes in walls, discarded magazine clips, and blood splatters on the walls. But strangely there were very few corpses in sight.

Leon was on one knee beside the body of an older woman who looked like she had been stabbed in the back and the point had exploded from her chest. Blood caked the front of her dress, turning the once pretty blue dress a dull brown. Her face was frozen in a mask of sheer terror.

"Who was she?" D asked as he dismounted his horse. Leon slowly reached out and closed the woman's eyes before answering. "Her name was Estella, she took care of me when I became ill last time I was in Genola," Leon took a deep breath before continuing. "She was always such a nice woman, always had a kind word and a hot meal for me in exchange for some company, I had told her I would visit her the next time I was in," Leon slowly shook his head, "Guess I won't be able to keep that promise."

Leon slowly got to his feet, and D did the same. Before D could console his companion on his loss there was a loud crash from farther up the street. Someone had just stumbled out from behind a car, but this person was no longer human. With skin the color of gravel, dead eyes that glowed red, and two puncture wounds on its neck, the zombie was a recent victim of a vampire attack. And it wasn't alone. More zombies appeared at several places and all looked towards the pair standing in the middle of the street. Then with one wailing call, they all jumped forward to get at the fresh meat. They leapt from car top to car top and even running along the walls of buildings to get at the two hunters.

By the time D had drawn his weapon; Leon had already drawn his sword with his right hand and had leveled his crossbow at the zombies with his left. Firing one-handed, he dropped two zombies with headshots and was charging forward like a madman.

He met the first zombie with a mighty overhead swing that split the monster right down the middle. "That was for Estella!" Leon screamed as he raised his bloodied sword for the next zombie. The next one jumped at him and he stabbed he creature through chest. As it uttered its death scream Leon calmly put his foot on its chest and extracted his sword. A third monstrosity leapt at him from his left, mouth open and snarling. Leon whipped around and got the zombie in a headlock in his left arm. He quickly twisted there was a loud CRACK as he broke the thing's neck. He let it go to fall and it fell to the ground lifeless.

By this time D had made contact with the monsters. His first slash split the zombie from left shoulder to right hip and he spun to behead another behind him before the first mutilated corpse hit the ground. Two more creatures met a similar fate as the dhampire sliced them in half at the waist. He grabbed the next one by the front of its apron (probably a cook when it was alive) and threw it at the nearby wall. The strength his heritage gave him became clear as the zombie crashed through the brick wall to leave a large hole.

On they came, and they kept dying. D and Leon stood back to back, cutting down any monsters that came in reach. However, for each one they killed, three more appeared. More and more zombies kept appearing from side alleys, and it would only be a matter of time before they were overwhelmed. "We gotta get outta here stranger," said Leon as he stabbed a former militiaman through the eye. D said nothing, but they both backed up towards their respective mounts.

Then, all the creatures stopped and turned around to look back at the rooftop of what used to be city hall. There stood two figures standing side by side.

One was a man, tall with short black hair that has bangs that covered his piercing gray eyes. He wore a long blue trench coat and a white frilly shirt. A red vest covered the shirt and had long pants on that ended in shiny black boots.

The other was a woman that barely came up to the man's chest. Her purple hair was extremely long, tied into a large braid that almost came to her knees. Her blue eyes seemed to swallow everything they saw. She wore a red Chinese dress with gold trim, with a dragon that wrapped around her slender waist.

Both radiated the aura of fear that was all too familiar to D. Both were vampires.

Dolan and Felicity Lamar.


End file.
